NOAA Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

The Freedom of Information Act (5 USC 552), was enacted in 1966. FOIA provides that any person has a right to obtain access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions of them) are protected from public disclosure by one of nine FOIA exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions. This right is enforceable in court. The Federal FOIA does not provide access to records held by state or local government agencies, or by businesses or individuals. States have their own statutes governing public access to state and local records and they should be consulted for further information about them.